‘’Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.’’ Hebrews 6:1-3
The elementary teachings about Christ are those contained in the first 4 books of the Christian New Testament: the gospels.
Jesus in his teachings while he walked the earth and before his crucifixion and resurrection, had one message to preach to the Jews and Samaritans he encountered '' “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”Matthew 4:17. His message was to prepare the hearts of the natural descendants of Abraham from his son Isaac (i.e the Israelites) to receive the ultimate blessing that had now come to them. This is the blessing of the true promised land which is The Kingdom of God. Jesus was the way to this promised land. As He said,
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John (the baptiser). Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.''( - Luke 16:16)
The crowd who came to him had found the way. (John 14:6)
Christ's teachings at that time specifically prepared the Jewish heart (inner man/conscience) to accept him. These teachings were:
was repentance from works (acts) that lead to the deadening of the human spirit to God,
teachings that encouraged them to put their trust (faith) back in YHWH,
to keep the law as given to them by Moses,
the healing and delivering of the people from sickness and evil by the power of putting his hands on them,
informing them of the fact that there is life after this earth
and there is a day assigned when YHWH will judge the motives and actions humans take while on this Earth.
These listed are (according to Paul) the foundational teachings of Christ. They are foundational in preparing the human heart (innermost spirit) and keeping those hearts soft and open towards God.
Repentance from dead works:
Jesus as well as John continually preached 'REPENT'. Repent does not mean saying sorry. This was a call to the people to turn away from a path without God and begin a life with God (YHWH) and his ways.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.''Matthew 7:13-14
''Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'' John 14:6
Jesus also taught the people to ''Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.''(Matthew 3:8)
Turning away from our own ways to YHWH (God the Father) and his ways by accepting Jesus as our leader is the basic foundation of Christianity. This was Jesus' foundational teaching.
Trust (faith) in God:
His stories and divine acts of miracles and walking on water were to inspire or reawaken their faith i,e. trust in their God YHWH.
''Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?'' Matthew 6:26
'then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”Luke 7:14 -16
Trust grows through the knowledge that comes as we relate. Helping us know YHWH is Jesus' goal: “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”John 17:26
Regarding the Laws of Moses :
Jesus' teachings brought the real principles highlighted in the laws of Moses to the surface. For example, his teachings on the mountain in Matthew 5 let us know what YHWH was really after when he gave those laws and ordinances in Exodus and Leviticus. He let the Jews know that as important as those laws were and will continue to be, At the time he walked the earth, HE was going to be the fulfilment, and he now is for all who have accepted his sacrifice of fulfilment on their behalf. Hallelujah!
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.''Matthew 5: 17- 20
Power/authority transfer by the hands:
One of the foundational teachings of Christ Jesus was that God's kingdom was not just talk but also power and he demonstrated this through the transfer of that power by simply putting his hands on the people to free them of evil and sickness. This is a basic truth for all who believe: we have spiritual power in Christ.
''And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” Mark 9:1 (also see 1 Corinthians 4:20)
''At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.'' Luke 4:40
''They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.''Mark 16:18
Life after death:
Jesus affirmed life that exists on the other side of a human dying. As he said to those who scoffed at this truth:
“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”Matthew 22: 29 -30
This is a foundational (basic) teaching of Christ. If YHWH is your God, he is still your God even after your human body dies because you never cease to exist - you live on the other side of death.
Eternal Judgement:
Jesus did not shy away from making his audience aware that there is a day coming when all men will be judged. However, he let them know that his coming was an opportunity to be on the right side of this day- a day of grace for all who have accepted what he did and said on their behalf:
''I am here to bring light in this world, freeing everyone who believes in Me from the darkness that blinds him. If anyone listening to My teachings chooses to ignore them, so be it: I have come to liberate the world, not to judge it. However, those who reject Me and My teachings will be judged: in the last day, My words will be their judge'' John 12:46-48 VOICE translation
The Judgement Day is not a 'scaremongering' fad. It is a foundational teaching of Christ Jesus.
These are the foundational (i.e. elementary) teachings of our good shepherd: Jesus the Christ.
From here we build up.
''For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.'' 1 Corinthians 3:11
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